Celebrating Milltown, Co Galway's Natural and Cultural Heritage

Milltown Heritage, in partnership with the Natural History Museum of Ireland and local schools celebrate the area’s natural and cultural heritage through music, art, poetry, and community events. Students from Belmont and Milltown National Schools contributed projects such as poems and artwork about a symbolic ash tree, and a beautifully illustrated book on Irish animals. These works have been paired with local wildlife footage, 1930s folklore, and heritage displays to create an evolving archive.
Events have included performances at Milltown Heritage Park, bird-ringing demonstrations by Chris Benson, music and poetry recitation around the historic sandstone seat Leac Na Tine, keeping local traditions alive. The project highlights the connections between Milltown’s geology, wildlife, and cultural memory, while honouring past community life, including the legacy of Pa Meehan’s Visiting House. This collaborative project blends history, folklore, and living traditions, inspiring pride in Milltown’s heritage and ensuring its stories are passed to future generations. Our research will go on display in an exhibition at the Dead Zoo Lab in Collins Barracks this autumn.  The full archive is available for viewing at www.milltown.galwaycommunityheritage.org.
Complementing this, recent archaeological findings along the N17 realignment have further deepened the community’s understanding of Milltown’s past, with discoveries ranging from Bronze Age sites to the ancestral home of Hugh Carey, former Governor of New York. Plans are underway to preserve Carey’s house as a heritage site, adding a new layer to the community's story. Uniting folklore, living traditions, and archaeology, these projects showcase our vibrant heritage.